Now, before you run away gagging…let me just say that possum (or opossum to some of you) stew is one of the finer things in life. NOT! Ha. Gotcha! I can’t say that I’ve actually ever had possum stew, nor would I ever choose to do so. But here’s a good story and I had to lead up to it somehow…

The other evening whilst sitting on the couch I noticed a faint scratching noise that sounded like it was coming from the front windows in my living room. As I turned the volume down on the tv, sure enough, it WAS a scratching sound coming from underneath the windows. I looked outside but couldn’t see anything rustling in the bushes. I knocked on the window. Still nothing. So, because I am a big chicken and thought that it surely must be rat in my cellar (even though I have NEVER had a rat in my cellar), I went to bed without looking in the basement.

The next afternoon I heard the scratching again and because it was daylight, and knew the boogie monster wouldn’t get me if I went into the cellar at this time of day, I headed down with a flashlight. I went straight to where I had heard the noise the night before. You see, I have a set of basement windows right underneath the living room windows. These windows are ancient, dirty as hell and double paned. Not the double-paned as in the modern, two pieces of glass that are millimeters apart and make up one window -  but two separate windows that have approximately 3-1/2″ of space between them.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear? Something gray…and hairy…and breathing! Gah! I almost ran away screaming but my curiosity got the best of me. I approached slowly with the flashlight and as I got closer I realized it was a baby possum. Phew! I could barely see in the widows as they are covered in dirt. Very clever how they installed them so there is absolutely NO way to clean them. Anyway, as I inspected further I could see that next to the little possum was what used to be his/her sibling. Splayed out. Dead. With flies crawling all over it.

I ran back upstairs fretting about what to do. My child got wind of my anxiousness and asked what was wrong. I had to tell her. And then she started crying, insisting that we had to “SAVE” him “NOW”. Great.

I grabbed a hammer and headed outside to see if I could somehow break the window open without killing the poor thing. No luck. That glass would not budge. I couldn’t really take a good whack at it as I was afraid the hammer would end up in the possum’s skull. So, I called my Dad and he came to the rescue with his expert glass-breaking technique. We coaxed the little fella out with cat food. It leaned out of the window just enough to gobble up the food. I’m sure it wouldn’t move any further because we were all standing around gawking at it. My child, of course, thought it was cute and wanted to keep it. It started to show its teeth when we moved closer. My first inclination was to whack it with something. Nice. I just save the poor, starving animal and now I want to kill it.

I have no idea how long it had been inbetween the windows. Long enough for two of his siblings to die. Yes, two! After he climbed out we saw that there was another dead baby – he had been sitting on it. Ick. So, now I have a broken basement window full of dead stank. I wonder how long it will take for the bodies to disintegrate, because I sure as hell am not going to touch that stuff! Can I interest anyone in some possum carcass for stew??

the boy…he loves coffee…he’s a sly one…

I must apologize for not visiting all my favorite bloggers like I used to – faithfully.  I really do hope to get back into the blogosphere soon but that may not be until fall, I’m afraid. You see, I am swamped. Swamped with dog biscuit making, scone making, crafting, painting, yard sale-ing and, of course, work. The first Farmer’s Market of the season is in three days. Count ‘em…3! And I’m busting my butt bagging up some yummy Bow WOW Biscuits and assorted scones for opening day…all the while attempting to figure out how to set up my market tent so I don’t have to arrive at 6 am that morning and struggle with it.

The dog biscuits are a big hit with the boys. I already knew that – as I’ve made them in the past and the boys would gobble them up. But…I used to make them at my restaurant where I was uninterrupted. Now, I must make them in my kitchen with two dogs constantly under foot waiting for hand outs.

The dog biscuit making process tuckers Gus out and he eventually ends up sleeping at my feet.

The crafting is in full swing now. Every corner of my house is full of crafty goodness…pillows, bookmarks, hairbands, clothing, purses, collages, you name it.

Kitchen counter now full of crafts...

It's all about the 'love'

The paints have found a new home

I’ve started painting furniture, to boot. Where the hell I’ll be storing all of it is beyond me.

Cutesy little rocker that will soon be all dolled up for the craft fair

Now that I’m in full furniture-scoping mode I’ve been scouring the yard sales and flea markets.

I found this little gem for myself…

It will look perfect in my newly painted dining room. Yep, I’ve painted the dining room for the third time this year. Oy. I just can’t seem to decide on a color. I think this last color – buttery yellow – is a keeper. I love yellow with red accents so I painted myself a little sign for the new dining room…

Don't ask. My favorite number is 5 and I needed something to write on the sign...it was either this or "For Sale"!

And, of course, along with the new paint color had to come new drapes and shades. Like I need to spend my time fiddling around with this stuff? Oh, but I do. So, I made new curtains and bought new bamboo shades.

We DID have time to enjoy the first strawberry shortcake of the season – complete with homemade whipped cream. YUM!

Here are a few more pics…just some crafty shots

And dog teeth! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

I haven’t been around the blogosphere much as of late, but for good reason. The first reason: I’ve had my kitchen remodeled. It took a long seven weeks, including several days without a sink but it is finally done and I am slowly getting things back in order. Here are some pics to prove that my house has been in upheaval (sorry Facebookers – you’ve already seen these pics):

BEFORE:

AFTER

Such an improvement! I had so much wasted space prior to the remodel. I did, however, loose the space for a kitchen table but I gained all this new counter space.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Not a terribly drastic change, just removed the cupboard doors, added crown molding, new counter tops, back splash and cabinet hardware.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

Right, so, you get the idea. Phew. Glad that’s over. The second reason I’ve been absent: I bought a Shark steam mop and every spare second of free time I have is spent steam mopping my floors. Yeah, because my life is THAT exciting. Actually, the second reason is because I’ve been invited to participate in the area’s largest arts/crafts show this summer. Eek. Which means I’ve been crafting my ass off and barely have time to eat or sleep. I’ve been sitting at my sewing machine whipping out items whenever I have a spare moment. And, unfortunately, I can no longer see my nice, new counter tops because they are covered in crafting supplies. I’ve only got a little over 2 months to prepare for this show so I’m a bit tense…and am starting to hold my breath a bit too much and have almost forgotten how to breath. Eek. Ok, back to work for me. I’ll keep you posted on the crafting progress.

Does anyone have a phone book I could borrow?

Spring, glorious Spring! It’s finally here and I have spent the last few days outside. I even got all the patio furniture out and had coffee on the deck this morning…it was 75 degrees at 7:30 a.m. Unheard of around here. I can’t remember ever getting to sit on the deck this early in the year. Woo hoo! I love it. I love the blue skies…

and the flowers. Ahhhhh!

Even the moss looks lush after all the winter drab…

E wanted to know why I was on my knees taking a picture at the base of the tree. I said, “E, look at all this GREEN!”

The dogs are loving the sunshine.

Now, if I could just get Ridley to stop barking at the new neighbor’s dog and cat. He spends hours just sitting and waiting for a peek at them.

The fresh air makes everyone tired.

It’s been a while (hasn’t it?) since I partook in a meme so here’s a fun one that I got ages ago from the lovely and talented JavaQueen:

The rules:

You leave a comment on this post requesting a letter and I’ll assign you one. You write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter, and post it at your place. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on.

Here we go, in no specific order:

1. Beer.

2. Bailey – my wonderful, deceased dog.

3. Bacon…’cause come on, who DOESN’T love bacon?

4. Bull’s Eyes. (Not the actual eyes of a bull but those yummy caramel cream confections that I eat by the bagful)

5. Beaches (not the movie, silly…a hot, sandy beach!)

6. Blogging.

7. British accents. Or a man with ANY accent, for that matter.

YUM!

8. Amy Butler fabric (ok, that was a bit of a cheat…but her last name begins with B!).

9. Boys (um, men really, ’cause I’m no cradle robber).

10. Boots (especially my Ugg-like warm, cozy winter boots).

There you have it. If you want to play along just leave a comment and ask for a letter.

E was in her room quietly crafting last night. She excitedly ran down the stairs to model her newest creation:

She said, “Since I don’t have a real Twilight t-shirt I decided to make my own. Do you like it?”

“I love it!”, I replied. The front is a bit gorey…the back, however…so clever!

Well, well, well, look who came to visit this week. It’s Boo…and his lovely girlfriend, Bev. These two lovebugs arrived early this week and let me tell you, I’ve not been able to separate them since they got here. They’ve been very polite and quiet guests, but I guess it’s because they are so ‘into’ each other that they don’t require much attention or entertainment. When they arrived they were clinging to each other for dear life.

Boo explained that Bev was a little frightened because she had never traveled before and she was a bit unsure of what was in store. I assured them that there was nothing to fear here…except maybe the dogs…

Who are always excited to see who’s visiting.

I explained to both of them that they probably shouldn’t draw attention to themselves like they were – by hanging on my chandelier – because the dogs would be even more interested.

I went to work and they decided that they would prefer to stay home and rough it by themselves. When I returned from work at lunch time I couldn’t find them anywhere. The last place I looked…in my bedroom…was where they were! All snuggled in bed together. Hmmmmm.

Just look at Bev all puckered and ready to smooch!

I didn’t think it was a good idea for them to lie in bed all day, especially unsupervised. I wasn’t ready for any monkey business!

They found plenty of things to do for the remainder of the day. They made monkey bars out of my headboard.

And climbed up and down and around on the railings.

Played on the computer.

Until I realized what they were looking at:

Naughty monkeys! I think the lovebirds are ready to head out to their next destination – Trisha’s. After all, how much lovey-dovey-monkey-business can a host expect to take? Sheesh.